Slayers: Love for Life
by Diana-sama
Summary: PG-13 for language n violence. Love or life? In lesser stories, the hero risks life for love, and triumphs over evil. But you see, this is no lesser story... LG XOC ZOC
1. Prologue

Diana-sama  
  
Slayers: Love for Life  
  
Dis: I don't own Slayers.  
  
Sum: Love or life? In lesser stories, the hero risks life for love. But this is no lesser story, this is the story of one who gave up love for life... L/G X/OC Z/OC  
  
-----  
  
Once upon a time, there was a hero. This hero fell in love with a princess, who was very beautiful. But the princess was stolen by an evil monster. The hero risked his life to fight the monster and save his love. He won, and triumphed over evil, and he and the princess got married and ruled their kingdom in peace and love.  
  
But once upon another time, the story was a little bit different. 


	2. 1: The Beginning of the Story

Diana-sama  
  
Slayers: Love for Life  
  
Dis: I don't own Slayers.  
  
Sum: Love or life? In lesser stories, the hero risks life for love. But this is no lesser story, this is the story of one who gave up love for life... L/G X/OC Z/OC  
  
-----  
  
Lina glared at the ground and kicked a stone out of her way. She was in a determinedly foul mood this morning, and even Gourry was smart enough to figure out that she needed to be left well alone.  
  
The reason for such a foul mood? Well, you see, children, Lina Inverse's good friend, Princess Amelia, had left their group last night because her father had need of her back in Sailoon. Miss Lina didn't show any of her feelings towards the girl's sudden departure that night, but in the morning the anger and hurt were written clearly on her face. Shall I continue with my story now, children?  
  
So now their number was down to three. Sylphiel had left their group long ago, to stay in a village that needed a healer badly. Lina was now the only girl in their group, and her mood was enhanced even more by the fact that it was "that time of the month" now.  
Our heroes were headed to the lost city of the elves, Tanair. Zelgadis had heard a rumor that magic was abundant there, and there was probably someone who could cure him. Unfortunately for our heroes, they had not asked about what dangers lay in the forest Tanair was located in, and thus didn't know about them.  
  
Why didn't they ask? Why didn't I warn them anyway?  
...  
Well now, that's a secret.  
  
They were wandering around the forest where Tanair was supposedly located. The trees were giants, some of their roots being as tall as Lina.  
  
But you said Lina was short!  
Did I? Well, that IS true...  
  
Silence between the three heroes was interrupted only by the sound of running water from far away and the occasional animal sound, like a bird's song. The forest looked as though no one had walked through in a very, very long time.  
"I'm hungry," Gourry announced.  
  
As if this was a big surprise.  
  
Lina glared at him. "So am I, jellyfish brains, we've been wandering around in here for two days! I'm beginning to wonder if Xellos was lying to us."  
"Beginning?" Zelgadis snorted.  
"Aw, you really don't trust me, do you?" Xellos whined playfully, appearing in front of them with his usual smirk.  
Zelgadis glared at him pointedly. "No."  
"Where is this city, Xellos?" Lina demanded crossly.  
Xellos smiled. "That's a secret!"  
"DON'T GIMME THAT CRAP, XELLOS, I'M TIRED AND HUNGRY AND I'VE GOT FRIGGIN' CRAMPS!!"  
Xellos fell over with the full force of Lina's wrath. He stood up with a large sweat-drop. "No, really, it is a secret. Not even the Mazoku know where the elves his their city, only that it was in this forest."  
Lina grumbled to herself for a bit. "Then help us find the stupid city, okay!?" she commanded more than asked.  
Xellos nodded meekly and they went off wandering again in search for Tanair. After a half an hour had passed, Lina's temper was rising again in frustration.  
"WHERE THE HELL IS THIS STUPID CITY!?!?" she screeched, taking her anger out on a poor tree nearby. Animals fled. Her friends cowered.  
"AAAAAUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!!!" she yelled at no one in particular.  
"You can wander for months and you will not find our city, human," a voice rang out. It was female, and high, like soft bells.  
Lina became serious again. "Who's there?"  
"Me."  
"Who're you!?"  
"Me."  
"That's not what I meant! What's you name, then!?"  
"That's a secret!"  
She glared at Xellos, who sweat-dropped again. "Are you a Mazoku?"  
"No! I'm no monster! You humans are monsters, that you are."  
"We're not Mazoku! Well, he is, but he's okay for the most part."  
"You're not Mazoku, but you are humans. No humans allowed, that thy aren't. No sir."  
"Then what are you?"  
"I am an elf, that I am."  
Lina didn't speak for a long moment. "Then Tanair DOES exist!"  
"Indeed, indeed, that it does!"  
"Please, we're looking for a way to cure Zelgadis here. He's been turned into a Chimera and we've spent a long time searching for a cure for him. We heard the elves here could help!"  
  
It wasn't an outright lie, I suppose.  
  
"You heard the elves could help?" the voice mimicked. "The elves would help a human?"  
No one replied.  
The voice giggled. "Of course they would!"  
Face-faults all around.  
"The elves' magic is very powerful. They would help you return to your true form, that they would."  
"Well, can we please see them, then!?" Lina asked.  
"Mmm... nope."  
More face-faulting.  
"WHY!?"  
"Oh, they're all dead."  
Silence.  
"Not... not another dead end..." Zelgadis moaned.  
"But that's why you're looking for Tanair?"  
Lina nodded, eyeing Zelgadis with pity.  
"I'll take you, that I will. You just have to promise not to touch anyone."  
"But what good will it do, if there are no elves left?"  
A figure jumped off of one of the big branches of a nearby tree. It was a young woman, with pale green hair and skin a darker shade of green. Her eyes were a beautiful emerald color. She wore leather armor and had a longbow on her back, as well as a quiver full of sharp and dull arrows, for both stunning and killing. She smiled at them.  
"None of the elves are left, but there are some half-elves still living here, that they are," she told them. "Like me! And we still have the tomes of magic that were left behind when the elves died out, that we do. I myself am a magic user, that I am."  
Zelgadis' face lit up. The girl began walking through the forest in a particular direction and they followed. Suddenly, she stopped.  
"The Mazoku cannot come," she told them. "I cannot open a hole in the spell on the forest that will allow him to come. The magic in this forest was laid by the seven most powerful elves, so that none without elf blood could come through. There are small holes where some humans can enter, and I can perhaps get one of the others to help me pry it open for a Chimera to fit through, but there's no way a Mazoku can get in. That kind of power was lost long ago, that it was."  
Xellos sighed dramatically, but nodded. "Well, I suppose I'll see you later," he grinned. "Maybe you'll be human then, eh Zelgadis?"  
Even Xellos couldn't dampen Zelgadis' great mood right now. Xellos disappeared and the girl began walking again.  
"By the way," she chirped, "my name's Eiran."  
  
AN: Yes, I used the same city name again, Tanair. I like that name! I also like the idea of there being different races in the Slayers world, like the Mazoku, the Dragons, the Chimeras, the humans, the elves, the dwarfs, etc. Plz review!! 


End file.
